Found Footage February Day 24 The Atticus Institute!!

Day 24

The Atticus Institute

Another one of those I had no idea going into, had never heard of, but based off the artwork alone on the poster. It could go either way! It could be an absolute crap fest, or it might surprise us all. Here’s hoping for the best, especially after Incantation. Such a good, good film. This one however, has one thing I do enjoy so far here, it’s another period piece and it sounds fun. ri

Honestly I imagine it’ll be just fine but that could be the ice cream I’m enjoying talking too. This was another film I saw pop up on peoples lists as a must see and good entry into the found footage pool, hence its place on the list, surprisingly though, this film is free! Which also makes it a good addition. Can’t beat the price of free, but I do urge you if the quality of yours looks iffy well. Rent it for fun, or call it watching aged material since it’s supposed to take place I think in the 70’s.

Honestly any time I have to rent one of these films I always go for standard definition. There’s just something that feels wrong about renting a found footage film in hd.

So let’s get into the Atticus Institute and see what horrors await us all!

The Film

Well…one minute in and I’m sold.

Just something fun about the visual imagery of a very Spielberg like shot showing people reacting to something we can’t see, just hear. And what we hear sounds horrific, like a monster growling. A cameraman films himself and a priest readying for…what looks to be the ultimate exorcism?!

These two are putting on gas mask and the image alone of a priest in full robes ready to battle a demon, with a gas mask on is. A first for me. Unfortunately it seems we will have to wait to find out how this battle shall go.

The film also takes this moment to kindly inform us of the following

“Dr. Henry West founded the Atticus Institute to study telekinesis, clairvoyance, and other psi-related phenomena. Thousands of subjects were tested using the scientific method, many of whom expressed supernatural abilities that defied explanation by known physical laws. The small parapsychology lab was operated for nearly a decade until it was mysteriously shut down in November 1976 by the U.S. Government”

This is another documentary presented film, talking about Henry West and his Atticus institute in modern times, interviewing his family and friends to discuss his life and research, why he did the work he did back then.

Researchers who worked with him at the institute detail how they conducted test, their quest to apply science to telekinesis and the like. It sounds like a fun time, but also how the hell they got funding would be the biggest mystery.

Which thankfully they do joke about. As much as it sounds fun, the idea that back in the day people spent countless hours, days, years testing people for mind powers. It wasn’t exactly a lucrative field let alone something people were willing to pump thousands of dollars into. I mean there was some interest back then sure, but not nearly to the point some people today would like to make it out to be. Absolutely this kind of thing DID happen, but I’m just saying, it wasn’t always on the level of say me staring at goats.

It’s absolutely an interesting thing to look into and read about from back in the day, and the fact the films using this as its basis for their story is fun, I like it. There’s a lot of fodder there to go through and have fun with.

I’m also enjoying the setup they give us for how Henry was a true believer and felt he’d found his undeniable proof telekinesis and such were real, as he found a star pupil they briefly tell us about, named Norman. Their wonder prodigy.

A man who like some ‘others’ of the time, made a living on the news with magical unexplained tricks they’d perform with their mind. THIS was a big sideshow thing in the 70’s. Norman is shown concentrating and holding his hands out over an electric football table, a hot wheels toy car, and a bowl of cereal on separate occasions. Heavily concentrating over all of them, and somehow managing to make the objects move just the slightest bit.

Well in the case of the football table a hell of a lot. Enough to warrant an inquisition and burning of a witch.

As impressed as the researchers were, and as Happy as Henry was to have found what he was after. It was unfortunately all for not. As Norman was conning them, with the help of a researcher who’d used a small magnet in his watch to move the objects. EVEN cereal with the tiniest bit of trace metal within the cereal. ITSELF!

So they burn Norman as a heretic and tell his family he wondered off to places unknown.

Actually they don’t they just boot him from the spotlight appropriately.

Again this is something that was for some reason a big deal back then, where you actually would have shows. Where people claiming to have mind powers and abilities would do things like, bend spoons, move items and blow out candles without seeming to touch them. There was one guy who had a trick of being able to turn pages in a book without touching them. Supposedly again through sheer focus of his mind. He was brought onto a show to disprove this, which they did. Easily. He was using his breath to lift under pages and turn them. Waving his hand over the pages as if directing it with his mind, he’d look for spaces between the pages, exhale under them and tada MIND MAGIC!!!

The 70’s were a fun time apparently.

But we know from an opening like this film gave us, that there WILL be success somewhere along the lines for the good doctor, or disaster given the dire circumstances we saw in the opening shot.

Which brings us to Judith.

Judith is our films main focus after Norman. Her sister, Sister Margaret had brought Judith to the Atticus Institute after having read about the work that they do and the subjects they were looking for. So after bringing her sister in, Judith began to immediately impress the researchers. Even though they were still dealing with the recent trickery of Norman, they didn’t push too hard on her, they weren’t overly critical. But they absolutely were not taking any chances with getting fooled again. But still she again manages to impress them all.

This, is where the film begins to take a fun turn, oh yes indeed. A very fun turn.

It all happens when a researcher being interviewed begins telling us how plain looking she was, how unassuming she looked, and bookending it with the perfectly brow raising comment “You would have no idea, that Judith was, what she was”

Even going as far as backing this up with another researcher adding “We just had no idea how different she was at this point”

This, is gonna be good.

I think we know where this is going, based off the first few moments we were shown at the start, and if so. I love it.

We are shown multiple test they’d conducted on her. And every test they presented her with, she out performed them in every way. She’s seen moving a chair several feet on the floor, identifying shapes in cards with a wall placed between herself and Dr. West, where not only was she able to identify multiple cards, but was even able to bend them. Moving other random objects around her. Even weirder she was asked to make a pair of dice add up to the number 7 multiple times. She was able to do it with barely flinching to a point the doctors were scared of just how easy, how quickly, and without motion she was able to do this.

It's creepy and great, because they all are talking about how everyone. All of them, were so impressed with her skills, absolutely taken by the implications of what she was able, and capable of doing. That none of them ever realized how worrying, or fearful this should have been, and how scared they all should’ve been. It’s creating a “We didn’t know” “We didn’t realize until it was too late” scenarios.

Which begins with Judith being monitored one night by an orderly in her room. Who went from sitting calmly at their table, to running screaming from the room as things went from calm and peaceful to absolute chaos as lights were flickering on and off and objects were being tossed let and right.

Add to this, the creepy fact that when they decide to contact her sister to learn more about her past, why she brought her, certain characteristics she displayed. No one could reach her. They discovered shortly after Margaret dropped her off. She never came back. She’d abandoned her sister there.

It’s very subtle, and slowly creeping up more and more with the interviews, and footage we are being shown, and it’s so damn good. But they are very subtly showing us that, Judith wasn’t just clairvoyant and highly telekinetic. She was possibly possessed.

In things as subtle as her movement and reactions. When asked to do things. Sometimes looking angry and impatient. Other times amused and bored. Biting herself then giggling. Grinning at the camera while others are gasping in disbelief at her abilities. It’s great. It just grows from subtle things to out right holy shit.

Even better though, and the film admits it clearly with each interview we progress through. They were in a time when people weren’t taking meds, had access to psychologist as readily as people do now. That things which could’ve easily been spotted now, were over looked back then. How signs of mental illness were mishandled and in her case. Everything she was beginning to display, her reactions and behavior. None of them had even the slightest idea it was something to worry them. They took it as traumatic, possibly mental handicaps.

Much like no one expecting the Spanish inquisition, no one expects demonic possession. But the signs are all there, and it’s great for the audience seeing these signs and KNOWING what is right in front of us. From her subtle movements, the changes in her voices tone, incredible skill with moving things, the uncontrollable outburst, camera even going wiggly wobbly woo. It’s all laid out there but yeah. They were all too busy patting themselves on the back for their discovering a true miracle to question the possibility of something else.

Things are getting creepy and I love it. I dig the documentary style of the story  and the slow turn in the interviews from one of awe to being scared shitless. Even more so. The twist of their findings being initially so good, and powerful. That the government got involved and sent a pys-ops agent over a man with no official title because telling us would mean he has to kill us. All we NEED to know, is this man can make people who ask questions disappear.

Well actually what we really need to know, is that Judith hates this man immensely, as he challenges her…well…her uninvited powerful guest within her. He challenges and undermines their authority. But we’ll be getting more into that it feels like later. For now they want to show us more of the turns they talked about where they began to feel things were not as bright and hopeful as they’d first imagined.

Starting with Susan, who was helping conduct some of the testing with Judith and Dr. West. Judith was asked to sketch out whatever object it was that West was thinking of. She is scene roughly drawing something out, folding it and sliding it over to Susan, staring at her a long time until she opened the paper, examined it and looked at Judith who seems to mouth to her “You weren’t there”, at which point Susan got up to walk out, then rushes over and attacks Judith!

Thankfully they don’t leave us hanging, during Susan’s interview she tells us that Judith had drawn a shamrock, and tells us how her mother, years ago had passed away. An immigrant from Ireland to London, who was buried in her casket wearing a shamrock necklace she’d worn every day of her life, she also admits that what Judith said was true, she had not been there when her mother had died, and had rarely been back home to speak to her mother at all. Soooo yeah. That kinda hit her  just a little bit, and again during the attack on Judith. You see her smiling this crooked evil grin as Susan attacks her. But the moment Judith looks over to Dr West and everyone else, the grin is gone. “That woman, that thing. Somehow knew that, they knew the guilt I felt, and they wanted me to know it. To humiliate me.”

It's freakin creepy I love it, and it’s only getting worse for the group. For everyone, including Judith.

How could things get worse you imagine? Oh they can and do, so sooo much worse. But not on the side you’d imagine, oh no.

The Department of Intelligence is getting involved and taking over the institute and the studies going on, solely devoting everything to Judith and her abilities.

What’s worse is Dr. West has also begun to change.

He’s growing afraid. He’s not attempting to stop what’s going on, he’s not contesting the military and government involvement. Even when soldiers were brought in to protect everyone from Judith, and Judith from herself. The man was scared of what Judith was capable of, and seemed to begin getting an idea for just what she could be, and it scared him.

Did it scare the government? Hell no.

This is…brilliant. I love it, love it so damn much.

They are not going to be intimidated. They are locking down the entire operation, reviewing all evidence, film, any and everything, and deciding what to keep secret and what not. They did every kind of test they could on her. These people. The GOVERNMENT. Through all their testing discovered an ‘anomaly’ inside her. They found the actual evil presence. In her body. They even triggered it.

THEY KNOW SHE IS POSSESSED!

Is this when we see the priest brought in? Hell no!!

They want to see what the hell actual evil is capable of first! This is like…the very definition of don’t poke a bear with a stick. Holy freakin crap man! Do it, keep poking, fuck around and find out.

While the men in suits take over the lab and begin conducting test with Judith to see if she can control the heart of a frog, and humans to see if she can effectively KILL with her mind, what of Dr West you might wonder?

Well. The good doctor is not fairing too well. At all.

The man is suffering seizures, Specifically after one test with Judith, he suddenly began going into a seizure and from there on. With the men in suits in charge. He wasn’t left in charge of anything, so much as now being observed and questioned. While given new medication to ‘help’ his seizures. His demeanor has changed, and the once confident, kind man. Is now scared and stammering. Withdrawing. He talks about seeing things at night, in his sleep and while he’s awake. He seems genuinely shaken by something but won’t say what. Do they care? Not especially. As far as the gov men are concerned. They have a potential weapon on their hands which they need to poke, prod and test the efficiency and range of so they can potentially make good use of it. Well. Her.

Them.

Yes. They are aware they are trying to not only use a demon to fight for the United States, but they are also trying it looks like, to test its limits, as well as potential weaknesses. This. Of course. Can only go well.

I mean how could it NOT go well, when you start poking, prodding, testing, and pushing a demon.

Honestly I dig the hell out of this whole concept. The idea these people were testing and looking for strong psychics, only to end up finding of all things a possessed woman. And the fact they don’t immediately crap themselves in fear, but instead take the opportunity to investigate, test and USE a demon. It’s insane, it’s beautiful, it makes sense!

Just the absurd idea, that the U.S. government would be insane enough to win wars and hold the upper hand over Russia and other threats to the country, to consult with a demon, the idea they even think they could control one it’s just….Yeah, that’d be the men in suits!

It’s like introducing a new evil to the picture as well. We learn from the interviewers that people involved in the research, the guards watching over Judith. They were all experiencing supernatural events. Hauntings, nightmares. House fires, deaths. And they kept going forward.

They mention specifically how one of the researchers found on the floor after a test with Judith, that he found a paperclip on the floor of the new cell they’d built for Judith which was an air lock, which shouldn’t had been there. He picked it up, put it in his pocket and forgot about it. He says he washed and wore those pants several times, but when he went to his sisters house for his nephews birthday. He reached for something in his pocket and all of a sudden, that paperclip fell out. Sadly his nephew picked it up, and ended up putting it into a wall socket. Killing him.

He mentions their dog going wild barking before it happened, and again how over all the days since he’d found that paperclip. It never once fell out or tumbled out in the wash. It stuck in his pants until that very day and then chose to drop out. Specifically for his nephew to find, of all things.

It’s messed up man. He absolutely knows it was the demon in Judith, it was meant to happen as were all the other events. Even the man now in charge. He talks about how his son started having extreme night terrors, every night he’d wake up screaming. It all started when he became part of this project.

Did he think oh shit demon followed me home? Absolutely he did. But the man forces himself to believe, and it’s great seeing on screen during the interview. He made himself belief it was just coincidence and that the doctor who told him this is just a normal thing some kids go through. That explained everything enough for him.

For those wondering? Denial is not a river in Egypt. But this man is fishing daily on it.

So the project is losing more and more people. Loyal folks who were committed to discovering the extent of human mental abilities and powers. Now faced with pure evil and all experiencing horrific events. Being kept out of the look by military personnel. It isn’t pretty. What’s worse is when Dr. West finally decides to break his silence and stop keeping his fears to himself.

What causes it? Why the men in suits obviously.

When they start hearing more and more about the attacks on random personnel, a guards father being mauled by a stray dog, kids dying, the hauntings and night terrors. How do they react? The best way the 70’s manly men of the military commonly did AND do!

They attack back!

They haven’t just setup an airlock cell to keep Judith contained and away from physically being able to harm anyone. They’ve done it to also rig up ‘punishments’ for her non compliance and threats. Any act of power she demonstrates that could harm them. She is met with electro shock, gas, and threats of…exorcism.

All of this. So they can attempt to harness the demons unholy powers. To force the demon to do what they want. Like telling them the location of nuclear warheads. Forcing soldiers to repeat phrases like “Launch all missiles.” They want to know if its possible to control foreign enemies and make them do as they want, like destroy themselves. Locate spies and stop their hearts. It’s just…insane.

And worse, the one element that only Dr. West seems to care about at the time. Is Judith. She is stuck in the middle of all this, being punished as the demon possessing her, who would normally be terrorizing family members, causing unholy havoc. Is now being tortured and controlled by the military. Doubling the pain Judith is having to suffer.

Which even begs the question, the insane question. What happens if Judith dies? Believe it or not, they have a plan for that as well.

The lengths this movie is going. The story it’s just. This is amazingly good. It’s sad and insane, but it’s unfortunately believable too. And you absolutely are feeling bad for Judith. She’d effectively trapped and held prisoner by a demon and the government. Tortured by both and unable to escape.

It’s hard not to feel bad for her, and hell to some extent even the demon. As they show Judith being forced to listen nightly, for hours on end to hyms, Christian verses and chanting, songs. Reading psalms from the bible. It’s just something you don’t usually see in demon possession films, and it’s a great twist. It’s a huge and deadly power play being played out, and it obviously goes horribly wrong! Otherwise we wouldn’t be here! I just can’t wait to see it play out, but I know it’s going to be grand and horrific when it does.

Unfortunately Dr. West is also caught up in this. He is hugely sympathetic to Judith, he cares about the woman he met before things went haywire. Before the possession took over her. Even when he is confronted by the fact she is indeed possessed. He still cares only abut Judith. He also knows, like all the other scientist that they can’t possibly contain or hope to control actual evil. That Judith and her abilities. They were already beyond anything seen before by any of them. And they’ve only increased since then. She’s grown in power and reach, so the thought someone could really believe they can control that? Or the thought that kind of malevolent force would allow itself to be controlled without retribution? Yeah.

So this makes Dr. West a liability. Obviously. So he is getting interviewed, at home, on camera. Because they want him to understand. Should he try going public, they absolutely will play the ‘he’s obviously insane’ card, and the way he’s been acting, his recent dark thoughts, dreams. They also want to keep an eye on him because of this, incase he too ends up someone they might wish to…spectate and observe.

He knows this, he knows what they can do, would do. And all he has to tell them, is just what we’ve been discussing, warning them. It reminds me of the line from 8mm, when you dance with the devil, you don’t change the devil, the devil changes you.” They just don’t see it that way since the demon is trapped and in a box they built.

The payoff here is going to be insane. Please let it be good.

One of the best creepy moments, comes when the military have her chained up, trying to interrogate the demon. Asking it who it is, how it came into Judith, how it chooses its victims, what its capable of etc. Anytime Judith would speak out, it came out seeming in another language, matched with growling and mumbling. Whenever she responded like this, they immediately punished her. One question after the next, electroshock each time, and all the while the demon would grin and writhe in agony.

When they played back the audio from that day. They were able to isolate a single voice from Judith and it turns out, every response the demon gave, was telling the director in charge what to ask it next.

The demon was in charge and controlling the man and it loved that the man had no idea he was being manipulated and controlled, while thinking he and his men were safe and in charge of things, while shocking Judith over and over.

At this point, everyone in the film being interviewed isn’t holding back. They all know this is bad, things are getting worse. No one is actually in control though they want to believe they are, and they all talk about wanting to leave and run for their lives. Especially once we get to “The last night in the lab.”

It’s finally here, the priest we saw earlier who slipped on a gas mask, in full regalia, ready for an exorcism.  But now, we know why the exorcism. Hold onto your butts for this one.

Now knowing, this demon is truly far more powerful than any of them anticipated or thought possible. They have a solution to their problem. One they mentioned before in regards to plans incase Judith died.

Their ultimate plan, is to conduct an exorcism. To see if they can in fact force the demon to leave Judith, either with her death during the exorcism, or the success of the act itself. Why? Because they plan. PLAN. To have the demon, move into a soldier in another room, whom she is tethered with. Let that sink in.

The most intelligent power hungry men in the U.S. Plan to remove a demon from a possessed girl. Alive or dead. So they can transfer the demon to a new host. Because they believe if it inhabits a new host, it will of course just like with Judith, have to take a long time to fully control the body, and grow into its full range of power.

So yes. The plan is, transfer the demon, once it becomes a threat to them, transfer it again, and continue their work. Moving the demon each time it grows too powerful.

Again

Say it with me

Say it with feeling.

What, can possibly go wrong?

So yes, that is the lead up to the event we saw at the beginning of the film. Judith is chained to her chair, a soldier linked to her in a separate room also is chained to a chair and under watch. The priest is moving into the airlock, in a secure section attached next to Judith. He is allowed inside her cage and conducts the exorcism. Every growl of pain and torture from the demon, results in the soldier twisting and writhing along side Judiths body. Mimicking every action perfectly. The military nerds watch both camera feeds comparing notes and watching as they witness the first real exorcism and possible demon transference.

Eventually The demon reaches what seems to be an apex moment in the ritual, growling out and seeming to attack the priest. They immediately flood the room with gas. Removing the priest and making sure Judith is, well. Dead.

The head man in charge isn’t taking any risk with this. He also, because the demon taunted and controlled him. Makes a point of going into the cell himself with a gas mask, to check and make sure she is dead. Of course you and I, everyone and the DOG knows this is going to end horribly for him and everyone else.

He walks in, he checks her for a pulse, and Judith is gone, not moving, not responding. They even electrocute her for fun to make sure she’s really super not there.

No response what so ever. It seems she’s gone. Meanwhile Dr West is checking the vitals of the soldier, trying to make sure at least SOMEONE was safe. In that moment, things finally go horrible. Horribly wrong.

The moment West checks the soldiers pulse. Judith screams out an unholy scream. The man in charge is squeezing his head as hard as he can to keep his ears and mind from exploding. But it doesn’t work. The airlock is destroyed, everyone in that room is dead. The soldier turns his head to Dr West and vomits black goo directly into Dr. West face.

The documentary is coming to a close now…

Even the men in power are admitting it was…a mistake. Mostly because it became the center of a media blitz. People wanting to know what happened to ALL the people now suddenly dead. The fact the place was exploded, and now former researchers were stepping forward. On top of it, Dr. West.

One of the funniest moments comes from the military when they say, the most copy pasted line of all time from any position of power when events turn tits up on them. “The measures taken were done with the best interest of this country in mind.”

Sure they tortured a woman, and tried controlling and using an actual demon to help the U.S. become the number one power of the world, sure it resulted in the deaths of many innocent people, and they had to cover up parts of that story. But again, it was all purely for the best interest of our country. I love it.

They even managed to interview Margaret about her sister. Admitting they had worried about her, had thought sending her to the institute would help her, cure her. But now having found out what happened to her. She somehow is grateful for it. Because, her sister is at peace now. I mean…damn man.

But we aren’t done yet. We have one last thing to deal with. What they refer to as the events that happened after the last night in the lab.

So, we have everyone in the room with Judith dead. Coincidentally. We also have everyone in the room with the soldier dead too. There are only two people left alive now in that building after the remaining survivors escaped. Judith is one of them. Yep. She survived the gassing, and possession. She’s back to her normal self. Scared out of her mind in a room she doesn’t recognize, surrounded by dead bodies, chained to a chair. She’s losing it and crying. Pleading for help. And in walks our second survivor. Dr. West. Who walks calmly up to Judith, Staring at her, and WHAP….Judith’s heart explodes in her chest, and outward.

The last thing our security camera see’s, is the face of Dr West.Still coated in the black muck vomited on him from the soldier. Which slowly begins to seep into his eye  sockets and mouth. The good Doctor is now possessed, and walks out of the building, presumed dead.

With that we get our final card of the film alerting us that Judith’s body was buried at an undisclosed location after undergoing autopsy. To this day, her possession remains the only incident of its kind recognized by the United States government.

And with that, we have reached out end. Happy times abound!!

The end

Here I sit, having spent two nights, watching back to back what have to be some of the best Found Footage I’ve come across. I mean Incantation was scary and creepy as all hell. It is not being dethroned any time soon. But this movie. Damn that was something else. What a wild ride.

It’s one of the more original possession stories, and I love the take it took on it. The whole idea of taking what usually would be a story of torture for the family seeing an innocent person twisted and formed into something malevolent and horrific, forced to do evil things to punish those who loved them, Turned into a story of the government trying to tap into and harness the powers of true evil in this world. It’s crazy and in just the right way.

It’s so good and well told. The documentary style of found footage is very quickly gaining my respect as one of the better ways of conveying your story. I like how it allows them to bring in a touch of music that really serves the story to add legitimacy to it, I like the interviews and how they were conducted. Again lending credence to the authenticity, the acting was spectacular. They were all believable as people who were simply there to do a job, and were so blinded by their success that they didn’t realize what was right in front of them the whole time.

It’s just played out so, so well. And especially in the interviewing process after the fact. They all know what it was they were dealing with, they admit they were blind at the time, and even better, the part I really enjoy is all of them, even the military people all admitting. Had they known what Judith really was. They would never had done what they did.

The whole thing plays off so innocently, and it really is something to see when you watch it play out. I love that they didn’t expand on Judith too much. Her sister gave enough backstory on what had happened to her through her life, how she became quiet. That she was a good person, very fun loving and then she began to change, and she noticed little things. But that was it. They never brought up what was so concerning that she chose to abandon her to the institute. Why she would. All she could say was. She just thought they could help. And if they had been looking at her the way they should have, had they known what they were getting into and not had someone drop her off to a place they were testing for psychic abilities. They may had caught on sooner. Instead. Judith was explored, exploited, and ultimately killed.

It's beautifully tragic and a great cautionary tale. Told as a documentary, exploring the only case of possession recognized by the government, trying to make sense of an absolutely crazy case that went too far.

The film, even with its insane moments. Really wasn’t that insane. A lot of the films moments were purely reliant on acting, very little cgi was used, and when it was, it was moderate enough not to stick out as eye rolling or overdone. It was all contained, well done and executed. I liked the transformation Judith went through in the film especially. Between her and Dr. West honestly. They both had a huge journey in this film and its equally tragic on both fronts. Dr. West thought he found the ultimate subject of his study, and when he and his people realized there was something more, a lot more dangerous. Honestly that’s the best turning point to the films story.

You had this moment. Where West recognizes there is something very wrong, and it is not in her mind, this is beyond the scope of what he’d thought they had. He had, in that moment of realization a chance that he could’ve helped Judith and could have tried. But that chance was taken from him. One of his fellow researchers made the call getting the government involved. And the moment they did, they immediately took over any and all authority, sidelining Dr. West to the point that decision was taken from him and all he could do is sit on the side lines and watch as they exploited and tortured the woman he thought to help.

The more you think about it, the more of the story you sit on and go through, I mean its just that much more a powerful, tragic horror story. Absolutely we came here to see some demon fucketry and bad guys and good guys get shafted. But having a strong character driven background in there. It makes all the difference in the world. This could have easily been horrible. There have been movies. Not found footage, but just run of the mill direct to dvd horror that try doing similar, and it’s usually over done or so self aware it comes off fake and corny. In fact there’s one movie, I am having trouble recalling the name exactly. If I remember I will add an edit later to the post. But as I remember it was about a group visiting and filming inside a haunted house. That ends up being a demon. And by the end of the film. The person they were interviewing who’d survived. Ended up being the one possessed and they tried playing it off as a huge shocker, and the person I believe ignites the interviewers while they are being questioned. It was a fun movie, I wish I could remember the damn name. But it felt similar to this just. Not at all fleshed out and again with the possession and how the person acted while being interviewed. They had a sense of self awareness to them that just, sort of sold the surprise far too early on.

With this it made sense because we are told by the people being interviewed what happened, that she was possessed. But its ever so slowly put out there. It just begins with warnings, no one ever says the word possession until much, much later on. They all just hint at it, in true form to the documentary style of the story being told and unfolding. The film has to keep you interested and watching to the end. Which it mimics perfectly.

I really loved it, the film was a perfect run time of an hour and twenty minutes. It didn’t need more, or less. It told exactly what it needed to tell. I wouldn’t alter a thing about it.

The director, Chris Sparling did a great job on this one.  He also wrote this film and has a pretty nice tidy body of work behind him, I like the guy, even though his face when he smiles absolutely screams DEMON to me. But that could just be me and my natural habit of believing people to be demons until they say otherwise.

Something that really did surprise me however in this film, was I did recognize one actor. Rya Kihlstedt. I recognized her from a part in Yellowstone which I’d recently been watching, and sure enough. She has a very nice filmography backing her. She did a great deal of acting without speaking and it came across great. She has a wide range of emotions in this and her not getting to speak is a bit unfortunate, but it served the story, and she nailed it. Absolutely nailed it.

Two amazing movies in a row, once more. Proving to be, for me in my opinion, yours may very. Two great examples of Found footage done incredibly well. Both creepy, scary, and tragic with an incredibly well done and told story behind it.

Absolutely a hundred percent recommend the film. It was worth the long night, absolutely.

I hope you all enjoyed reading this, and the film when you DO see it, if you didn’t watch along the day of. So until tomorrow. When you play RISK, always take Australia, it’s a huge power point in the game. But if someone else takes it from you, Call up a demon, and tell them to fuck with the mind of your opponent and get them to surrender some territories. Then you can become the true power in the game of Risk. Or y’know. Leave demons alone.